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Jamal Collier
Los Angeles– box star giannis antetokounmpo helped seal milwaukee win 105-101 against Los Angeles Lakers Friday night with a pair of clutch defensive plays down the stretch Lebron James,
With 39.2 seconds remaining and the score tied at 101, Antetokounmpo blocked James from behind as the Lakers star attempted to pass, paving the way for the Bucks to take the lead. Kevin Porter Jr. A foul was committed at the opposite end.
Then, after James drove to the basket with the Lakers trailing by two, Antetokounmpo forced another turnover, knocking the ball loose for a steal with 1.5 seconds remaining to seal the win.
“At the end of the day, I just wanted to take on the challenge,” Antetokounmpo said. “I wanted to stay in front of him as much as I could. Because you knew he was going to make a play. He’s not going to pass it. And it worked out in my favor.”
The Bucks have won five of seven games since Antetokounmpo returned from injury on Dec. 27 and six of their last nine games overall. Antetokounmpo had a modest scoring night by his superstar standards, scoring 21 points on 9-of-11 shooting, but he said he was trying to impact the game in any way he could.
“We’re playing well, OK? So we can’t get comfortable,” Antetokounmpo said. “We can’t relax right now. We have to keep pushing the envelope, keep our foot on the pedal and keep moving forward.”
It was the Lakers’ first clutch loss this season; They entered Friday an NBA-best 13-0 in such games, defined as a five-point game in the final five minutes.
This was the first time Antetokounmpo and James played a regular season game against each other since 2022.
In his locker after the game, Antetokounmpo had James’ signed purple No. 23 jersey. Giannis’ brother, thanasishad a signed jersey bronnie james,
Giannis Antetokounmpo collects jerseys from his contemporaries around the league and he said he asked James on the court after the final buzzer for this latest addition to his collection.
“You never know,” Antetokounmpo said. “This might be our last game against each other.”
He added: “It means a lot to me. I think he’s a blueprint for every athlete, not just a basketball athlete. To be able to be consistent for 23 years. Be available. Be a winner. Lead by example. It’s incredible. And any opportunity I get to be around greatness and compete against greatness, I’ll always take it. I never take it for granted.”
“I have a lot of respect for him and his family and the way he’s carried himself for 23 years. And like I said, I miss going against him. I think he brings out the best in me as a player, and he’s one of the guys I definitely look up to on and off the court.”
James said: “At this point in my career, it’s always nice to go against some great players. If it’s Giannis, if it’s steph, kd, james, Juice“Guys that I’ve gone up against or played with for a long time,”
